October is National Bullying Prevention Month. It is so important to teach our kids that bullying does not only happen in real life, but also (and sometimes more-so) on the internet.
Disclosure: Edmonton Mama is part of the Forward Influence Network and we are being compensated by the sponsor for our participation in this post.
What we know about bullying:
- Cyber bullying is the #1 online safety concern among teachers
- 28% of students have personally experienced bullying
- 71% of students have directly witnessed bullying
- Only 20-30% of students who witness bullying actually notify an adult about it
The internet can be a truly amazing place to learn when we help guide our kids to keep comments, conversations and content positive.
Tips for Teaching the Kids How to be Internet Kind:
In a bullying situation there is usually four types of people involved: the bully/aggressor, the one being bullied, bystanders who see what is happening, and upstanders – who try to positively intervene. Things for the kids to keep in mind:
- Remember: behind every username and avatar, there is a real person with real feelings sitting on the other side
- Discourage any sharing or screen shots of cyber bullying or unkind comments – this helps the aggressor
- Bullies want the attention – it is always best to not retaliate – better to: ignore/block/respond with kindness – and always report cruel behavior to a trusted adult or to the website/application where the cyber bullying took place.
- Encourage our kids to be upstanders – people who are proactive when they see something hurtful happening and help turn those negative situations into positive ones.
Ways Kids Can Be Upstanders:
- Calling out the behavior in a comment or reply – if you are comfortable doing this (only call out the behavior, not the person and never respond with something unkind) Example: saying it’s not cool
- Pile on kindness with friends – post lots of kind comments about the person being targeted – but nothing mean about the aggressor – the point is to set an example of kindness
- Find a way to be kind to the person who was the target of cyber bullying – comments, private messages, a phone call, conversation the next time you see them, etc.
Be Internet Awesome:
This program is great. And you’re going to want to play the game portion with your kids. Be Internet Awesome is a free program by Google that teaches kids the fundamentals of digital citizenship and safety so they have confidence exploring online. Be Internet Awesome teaches kids:
- To communicate responsibly online
- Identify scams and non-credible sources online
- Protect their (and your) personal information online
- Tips on being kind and positive
- Seeing that being an upstander is a choice
- That when in doubt about something online, talk to an adult
Get more info on being Internet Awesome here.
You can also play the Kind Kingdom game associated with the program on a phone, tablet or computer. It’s an adventure packed game with so much info. Play the Kind Kingdom Game here.
There is no better tool than open communication with family. Let your kids know they can always come to you if something doesn’t seem right. It is also important for kids to learn how and what to communicate – whether some situations are better with no response, and some situations would be better with a face-to-face conversation – we can’t always judge the tone properly over messages!
Remember: how kids and their friends treat each other online now will have a big impact on the digital world their generation is building for the future. And the kids – they are watching how you interact on the internet too!
Challenge:
I challenge parents to speak to your kids about internet kindness – and ask them what they think they could do to be kind. Post their answers or something you chose to do that was kind online – and challenge 3 of your friends to do the same. Tag Edmonton Mama on Instagram or Facebook posts/stories so we can see the awesome ideas you come up with – let’s keep the kindness going. #ItsCoolToBeKind – use this hashtag on your posts so others can find your kindness ideas too!
This is a great post!